Automatic vehicle-brake



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. L. E. VAN ANTWERP. AUTOMATIC VEHIGLE BRAKE.

INVE/VTUH:

&

Pate n ted Apr. 8, 1890.

& "WIT-N58858:

A TTORNEYSJ (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

L. E. VAN'ANTWERP. AUTOMATIG VEHICLE BRAKE.

No. 425,195. Patented Apr. 8, 1890.

i sx ifi n I w. k WITNESSES: Z'K

W i m A 77' OP/VE Y 8.

UNITED STATES PATENT Urrrcn.

LINFORD E. VAN ANTVVERR OF SUSQUEI-IANNA, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC VEHlCLE -BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,195, dated April 8, 1890.

Application filed September 16 1889. Serial No. 324,008. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LINFORD E. VAN ANT- WERP, of Susquehanna, in the county of Susquehanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Vehicle-Brakes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is designed as an improvement upon the automatic vehicle-brake for which Letters Patent No. 387,022 were issued to me conjointly with Morgan L. Norton 011 July 31, 1888; and it has, in addition to other purposes or uses, like objects in view-na1nely, to automatically slacken the speed of a forwardly-running vehicle or to stop it, yet to allow free backing of the vehicle.

The invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts in a vehicle-brake of this description, substantially as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan View of the forward running-gear of a vehicle with a pole, and to which the invention is applied. Fig. 2 is a partly sectional longitudinal elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail longitudinal section taken through or in line with the pole, through the doubletree, and adjacent ,parts of the brake mechanism. Fig. 4 is aplan vi'ew mainly of, the parts shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a sectional View in part taken mainly through the doubletree in direction of its length. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the brakebeam and brake in part; and Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken transversely through the brake-beam of the same, with one of the vehicle-wheels in part. Fig. Sis a plan mainly of the hounds, lever-beam, brake-beam, and brake-operating mechanism in part; and Fig. 9, a longitudinal section of the same in part, mainly upon the line at a: in Fig. 8, omitting the toggle-levers of the brake-operatin g mechanism.

The pole A is connected in the usual or any approved way to the hounds B, which are fixed to the axle C, on which the wheels D D are hung.

E is the plate secured on the pole A near its back end, upon which the plate F, that is fitted to slide lengthwise of the pole, is seated and moves. This plate F has the doubletree G pivotally connected with it, as bya bolt or pin g, that is stayed to a rear lug f of the plate F by a hammer-strap or tie-bar II, hinged to said lug and provided with a spring locking-bolt b that when shot engages with the pin g. This tie-bar II virtually formsa catch that on sliding back the bolt 11 from the pin 9 allows of the whiffletrees being detached.

I is the metal rod or bar running along or over the pole A, and by which the sliding plate F is operated to actuate or release the brake. This rod I, which is secured at its rear end to a front lug f on the plate F and extends forward along the pole and through suitable guides, eyes, or staples a thereon, is

connected at its forward end to the sliding sleeve J, which is fitted on the pole and which will be engaged by a .ring of the neck-yoke K of the harness, that when'drawn backward will slide the sleeve J against a projection j, fixed to the pole to back the vehicle, and at the same time push the rod I and plate F backward to apply the brake when the vehicle is moving forward, as in the brake secured by Letters Patent No. 387,022, hereinbefore referred to.

The sliding sleeve J is of a simple elongated construction adapted to fit over the end of any vehicle-pole without changing said end, and is provided on its under side with a forwardly-projecting and downwardly-curving lip 0 that, coming in contact with the ground or any obstacle in case of the pole A dropping down, will cause said sleeve to be slid back, and so apply the brake.

Secured to the rear lug f of the slide F is a backwardly-extending connection L, divided intermediately of its length and united where so divided by a ball-and-socket joint, the ball 6 being on the back end of the forward piece f of said connection and the socket being in the after piece or section g thereof. This after piece is longitudinally divided horizontally and its two sections secured together by bolts, the one of which serves as a pivot for a pair of. toggle-levers M M, which at their rear ends are jointed to the inner ends of levers N N, that are fulcrumed at n n to a beam B, connecting and extending beyond opposite sides of the hounds B, and these levers N N are connected at their outer ends by rods or bars 0 O with the transverse brake-beam P, which is supported to slide backward and forward upon or within a couple of hangers R R connected, as hereinafter described, with the hounds. The lever-beam B is fastened to the hounds by any suitable clamps.

The divided ball-and-socketconstructicm of the connection L is important, inasmuch as any sidcwise motion of it will equalize pressure of the brake on the wheels, and so do awaywith any side draft on the end of the The brakebeam hangers R R are adapted to tit either framed or benthounds, and are formed with forward double extensions or arms that have a half-twist given them to secure the advance end of one of their arms, as by a horizontal bolt, to the hounds, while their other arm is secured by vertical bolts or otherwise to one of the faces of the hounds, and further secured thereto by an angleiron brace 71*, attached to the hanger and bolted to the hounds.

The rods 0, which connect the lovers N with the brake-imam P, are each fitted with a malleable cast-iron jaw-head 1?, to connect by pivot or bolt with the lever N operating said rod, and are each secured at their rear end by a screw-nut and lock-nut.

T T are the brake shoes or blocks, which are made of malleable iron faced with steel and with a clear opening 7; down through their backs,wherebysaid shoes are prevented from catching or holding mud, and they will be free from holding water to freeze and will not clog. Each of said shoes is connected, as heretofore, to a metal stirrup U, which is hung loosely, so as to rock, in a metal support V, secured to the brake-beam I. These supports are made of increased width below to support the stirrups at their extreme drop for the purpose of preventing the brake-shoes T from dropping down too far. Each of said brake-shoes is supported and controlled to secure for it the required action by a flat loop-shaped spring \V, passing up over the brake-beam, back of and beneath it, and at tached at its front end to the forward pivotpin of the stirrup U, said spring, which may be secured to the brake-beam by the same bolts that secure the stirrup-support thereto, passing and being free to work up and down within a slot in said support. This construction of spring I find more advantageous and durable than the spring heretofore used.

The whole brake may be secured to the wagon by only a small number of bolts and staples, and is readily adjustable to all heavy wagons of like pattern, and the tugs will be of the same length at all times.

The general operation of the brake is substantially similar to that described for the brake shown in said Patent No. 387,022. Thus, when. the team holds back on the neck-yoke its ring will move the sleeve .I, rod I, and plate F backward, and this will operate the levers M M and N N and pull forward on the rods 0 O and the brake-beam P to apply the lJl'2llO-Sl1OQS T to the wheels D to stop the vehicle or slacken its speed, as required. \Vhen the vehicle is hacked, and the wheels D consequently tu r11 backward, the brake-beam will be moved forward, just as when the vehicle and its wheels are moving forward; but in backin g, and when the wheels turn backward, the springs \V allow the brake-shoes to yield or turn downward with the adjacent wheeltires and allow the wheels to slip under the brake-shoes; hence in backing the vehiclebrake will not be applied.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an automatic vehicle-brake, the combin ation, with the sliding plate F, its attached rod I, arranged to slide on or along the pole of the vehicle, and the sliding sleeve J, of the connection L, divided intermediately of its length and united where so divided by a balland-socket joint, the lever-beam ii, the levers M M N N, the rods 0 O, and the brakebeam P, with its attached brake-shoes, essentially as described, whereby pressure on the vehicle-wheels is equalized and side draft on the end of the pole is avoided, as set forth.

2. In a vehicle-brake of the character described, the combination, with the sliding plate F, its attached red I, pole A, and mechanism for operating the brake-beam by the movement of said plate, of a doubletree G, titted upon a pin g, attached to said plate, and a hannner-strap or tie-bar H, hinged to the plate F and provided with a spring-bolt b adapted to engage with and disengage from the pin g essentially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. In an automatic vehielebral-:e, the combination of the hounds B, the brake-beam hangers R, the brake-bea1nl,the brake-shoes T, having a passage 7: through them at their backs, the stirrups U, the stirrup-supports V, and the flat loop-shaped springs \V, connected with the brake-beam and with the pin by which the stirrups are attached to the brakeshoes, essentially as shown and described.

LINFORD E. VAN AN'IWERI". Witnesses:

Gannon TRAVIS, H. II. lA'rrEnsoN. 

